


To Be Dead Like You

by CherriesJubilee (Cherries_Jubilee)



Series: Snake in the Grass [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Deadlock Gang, Found Family, Not Canon Compliant, Overwatch - Freeform, Post-Recall, Talon - Freeform, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25772668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherries_Jubilee/pseuds/CherriesJubilee
Summary: When a mystery thief breaks into Ashe’s warehouse, she intends to deal with it in her usual manner. But nothing is ever straightforward when it comes to Ashe.OrAshe catches Soldier:76 stealing from her, and discovers that Overwatch is getting back together.
Relationships: Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe & Jesse McCree, Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe & Soldier 76 | Jack Morrison
Series: Snake in the Grass [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877458
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	To Be Dead Like You

Ashe cocked her rifle, lining it up with her intruder. He froze, slowly raising his hands above his head. “Turn around.”

An old man in a mask, wearing a gaudy blue jacket turned to face her. “What were you looking for in my warehouse?” She questioned.

“Some old tech I know isn’t yours.” The man rasped.

“So what? I’m just the middleman with those, my client wanted me to get them, and I did. Now what do you want with ‘em?”

“It’s old Overwatch tech.” He said, “It contains valuable information about the former agents of Overwatch.”

 _McCree could be in_ there. “And why do you want it?”

“I can’t have that getting into hands of your client. It’s Talon, right? They’re trying to track down all the former Overwatch agents to eliminate them.”

“It’s not my problem. I have my own reasons for disliking Overwatch.”

He noticed the emblem on her jacket. “You’re Deadlock. Can you take me to Calamity Ashe? He might not want Talon to have that.”

Ashe arched an eyebrow. “And what makes you so sure?”

“I believe one of the old Overwatch agents is a friend of Ashe’s.”

“Wrong.” She announced, shouldering her weapon. “Calamity Ashe doesn’t care. I should know, since I’m her.”

Ashe couldn’t make out his emotion behind the mask. “I know you and McCree have your differences—”

“You don’t know jack shit about me and McCree. He already got ahold of some tech of mine, that lucky bastard. I’m not too keen on letting anymore go.” The man looked defeated. “You know who I am. Why don’t you take off that mask?”

He depressed a button on the side, and the mask detached with a hiss to reveal a familiar, scarred face. Ashe grinned. “Not everyday a dead man walks into my warehouse. What's the great, heroic, thought-to-be-dead Jack Morrison doing, stealing from a criminal?”

Morrison didn’t reply, staring blankly at the ground.

“Looking for a bit of revenge? Feeling nostalgic? Still wanting to be the hero from the organization that declared you a criminal? Come on, Jack, you gotta have a reason to risk your life coming in here.” She urged.

“I don’t want Talon to get ahold of that because Overwatch has reformed.”

Ashe went silent for a moment. “Do you know if McCree intends to rejoin?”

“No.” Morrison admitted. “He cut and ran about a year before the Swiss Base explosion. Said he didn’t want to get involved in the infighting.”

She chuckled dryly. “He does that. McCree’s a lying bastard, and then he just runs away from the consequences.”

“Is that what he did to you?” He asked.

“In a sense. He was my only family, for a long time. When he got busted by Overwatch, I told him to wait. I said I’d bust him out, and I’d bring him home.” Ashe recounted. “When I went to the prison he was supposedly being held in, he wasn’t there. Heh, was I a wreck after that. In the next few years, I just kinda assumed he was dead.

“Then there was that Blackwatch assassination in Italy. I recognized his ugly mug right away, and that’s how I knew he abandoned me.”

“He was told he was going to be put in a maximum security prison, possibly for life. McCree would’ve been stupid to not take the deal.”

“I told him I’d get him out. I was willing to do anything, kill anyone, to get my best friend back. But him,” She scoffed, “he couldn’t be bothered to even tell me that he was joining y’all. Nothing, for years, until I found out by chance that that rat bastard was alive.”

Morrison studied her for a moment. Ashe shrugged it off. “Anyway, what _really_ drove you to break into my warehouse? People don’t usually continue trying to help their allies beyond the grave for something as simple as “the greater good.” It’s gotta be more than that.”

He remained quiet, with an empty stare. She sighed, and gestured for him to follow her. Ashe pushed open the warehouse door. “Don’t come in my warehouse again.”

“And Talon?” Morrison asked, “What do you intend to do with the tech?”

She grinned wildly, pulling a packet of cigarettes out of her back pocket. “It’s a decoy. I’m just screwing Talon out of a ton of money.”

Morrison stares at her, slowly morphing in a chuckle. He shook his head and walked out the door to his bike, mounted, and rode off across the desert. When he was out of sight, Ashe leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

She had to legitimate tech that Talon was after, and she knew what it was. Maybe she could catch up on what McCree was doing in Blackwatch, or if he intended to rejoin Overwatch. The tech she had was still hooked up to Overwatch’s emergency network.

Ashe sighed, and pulled out her phone, dialing in a number. The line picked up. “Hello Miss Ashe. I assume you have acquired the technology I was looking for?” An accented voice said from the tinny speaker.

“Yeah. It’s busted, though. I dunno if you’re gonna be able to get it to work, but you’ve got more resources than me. You can come pick it up at the warehouse whenever.”

“Wonderful. I look forward to our future partnership.”

“Uh-huh. Me too.”

She hung up, leaning her head back against the metal doorframe. Ashe took a long drag of her cigarette. “Fuck...” She muttered to herself.

Her partnership. Talon had promised her everything she wanted. Money, stability, protection, hell, even a chance at “family.” All at the cost she supply their war, profiting off the suffering of innocent folks. She thought back on her conversation with Morrison.

Why continue supporting Overwatch? Ashe was good at people, good at figuring out what motivated them. Based off of Morrison’s reaction, he’s doing it out of attachment, or love, or Talon did something to the person he loved. She hated to admit she had her own attachment, though now it was just a dream of a young person, who was desperate for connection. A flicker of a memory of what used to be.

McCree was better than the life they had planned, he was made for more. Ashe knew it in her gut, that he never belonged with her. It didn’t make it hurt less that he was so able to just give her up, though. Maybe she should honor her old, dead friendship.

She scrolled through her contact list, hovering over one of the entries. _Rat Bastard, Do Not Call._ Ashe clicked it, and the dialing screen popped up. She came across the number years ago, so long ago she couldn’t remember the source. Despite her better judgement she saved it, swearing that it was for a good reason, not because she was a sentimental fool.

A click. “Hello?” McCree’s sleepy voice sounded, heavy with his western accent.

“Hey.” She said evenly. “It’s Liz.”

Shuffling in the background. “How’d you get this number?”

“Can’t remember.”

“How convenient for you.”

She scowled, taking another drag on her cigarette. “I heard Overwatch is getting back together.”

“And how did you find that out?”

“Sources.” Ashe replied vaguely. “You should rejoin.”

“I’m not fit to go back. They don’t need me.”

“They might now. I’ve got some intel. About Talon.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I’m listening.”

“They want a deal with me. A partnership. I get them weapons, they give me money and let me be a part of their little plan. I’m willing to pass some of this information off to Overwatch.”

“That’s great, just give a bit of time to get back to Winston—”

“For a price.” Ashe finished.

McCree sighed on the other line. “Of course. Something has to be in it for you.”

“Naturally.” She smirked. “I want to be a part of Overwatch. A spy. You don’t have to let me on your base or near any of your toys, but you keep me in the loop and let me help out on your operations. In exchange, I’ll get you as much Overwatch tech as possible and I’ll give you intel on Talon.”

“No money?”

“Overwatch is a criminal organization that had been flying under the international radar for quite some time. I know you ain’t got much of a paycheck.”

He chuckled. “Nah. You’re right.”

There was more shuffling in the back ground. A voice laden with some type of Asian accent Ashe couldn’t completely identify asked, “Jesse, what’s going on.”

She cackled. “Who’s That with you, McCree?”

“Gotta go, bye.” McCree said quickly, hanging up and leaving Ashe with the dial tone.

She snickered and pocketed the phone, taking another deep breath of cigarette smoke. Ashe looked up at the stars, twinkling over the desert. This isn’t how she had planned to do things with Talon, but it wasn’t a bad compromise. She didn’t believe in throwing the world into chaos, due to her cynical belief that people are just shitty in the first place, and a war would just make it worse.

Talon wanted a war from her. They were getting one, just not the one they expected. You never notice the snake in the grass until it bites you in the foot, and by then, it’s far too late.

**Author's Note:**

> To continue, or not to continue, that is the question.


End file.
